Michael Shaw, Author at Reading The Pictures

COVID 19 Photo April 22, 2020

The Postal Service in the Days of the Virus

The photo reminds us that postal workers are also giving their all on the coronavirus front lines. But a closer look has darker implications for the USPS.

Activism & Protest Photo April 21, 2020

Why Medical Workers Challenging Anti-Stay at Home Protesters Won the Internet

Why were these photos of Denver healthcare workers standing up to anti-stay-at-home protesters so popular? There's a "super" answer.

9/11 Photo April 20, 2020

A Reflection on Trauma, Coronavirus, and 9/11

I never thought I'd see or have to deal with a cultural trauma as profound as 9/11, but the coronavirus has proved me wrong.

Activism & Protest Photo April 19, 2020

The Viral Coronavirus Protest Photo from Ohio

It's the first COVID-19 news photograph described as viral without a hint of irony. But that doesn't mean it's not deadly.

COVID 19 Photo April 17, 2020

Trump’s COVID-19 Show in One Picture

Set in the White House hallway leading to the press briefing room, it serves as the perfect specimen of a spectacle that unspools for hours each night.

Coronavirus Photo April 13, 2020

New York’s AIDS Memorial Through the Lens of COVID-19

Todd Heisler's photo of the New York City AIDS Memorial in the midst of the COVID-19 health crisis honors memory and design.

COVID 19 Photo April 6, 2020

How Could the Strongest Country in the World Fall So Far?

The grief and the sorrow of these medical workers for their fallen co-workers in the second photo is so raw, they can’t even look at the camera.

Coronavirus Photo April 5, 2020

The Grim Reaper

We were told repeatedly we were two weeks behind Italy, but denial and disbelief are powerful effects. A reflection on two haunting phots by Alex Majoli.

COVID 19 Photo March 31, 2020

The Elbow Move

There will be plenty of memories from the coronavirus crisis. But our bodies, if pray we stay well, will best remember the basic contortions.

Coronavirus Photo March 30, 2020

About Feeling Crazy Right Now

The photo isn't about eccentricity, it's about mental health. And it's about the symptoms we are all experiencing from the virus these days.

Coronavirus Photo March 26, 2020

What Should and Shouldn’t We Be Seeing?

This virus photo from a Belgium hospital has a "sensitive material" warning. But perhaps it's necessary to see--and not just for the obvious reason.

COVID 19 Photo March 25, 2020

Virus Meets Cat Gramming

As the coronavirus grips Washington and the nation, this cat photo by Alex Wroblewski is not just sweet. It offers a dose of emotional immunity.

COVID 19 Photo March 22, 2020

Drive-Up Confession and other Pandemic Improvisations

The drive-up church confession is just one of the creative adaptions being made on the fly as the coronovirus upsets the familiar rituals of life.

COVID 19 Photo March 20, 2020

The Coronoavirus and the World Atilt

Suddenly, the media is filled with images that situate the coronavirus into the most well-known backgrounds. This example from Pisa is striking.⠀

COVID 19 Photo March 19, 2020

Coronavirus: Looking at the Next Wave

What informs this photo and the fear it stirs is the knowledge that the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. is not quite as far along as it is elsewhere.